There is little information describing how endurance athletes perceive sodium intake in relation to training and competition. Using an online questionnaire, this study assessed the beliefs, information sources, and intended practices regarding sodium ingestion for training and competition. Endurance athletes (n = 344) from six English-speaking countries completed the questionnaire and were included for analysis. The most cited information sources were social supports (63%), self-experimentation (56%), and media (48%). Respondents generally believed (>50% on electronic visual analog scale) endurance athletes require additional sodium on a daily basis (median 67% [interquartile range: 40-81%]), benefit from increased sodium in the days preceding competition (60% [30-77%]), should replace sodium losses during training (69% [48-83%]) and competition (74% [54-87%]), and would benefit from sweat composition testing (82% [65-95%]). Respondents generally believed sodium ingestion during endurance exercise prevents exercise-associated muscle cramps (75% [60-88%]) and exercise-associated hyponatremia (74% [62-89%]). The majority (58%) planned to consciously increase sodium or total food intake (i.e., indirectly increasing sodium intake) in the days preceding competition. Most (79%) were conscious of sodium intake during competition, but only 29% could articulate a specific intake plan. A small minority (5%) reported using commercial sweat testing services, of which 75% believed it was beneficial. We conclude that endurance athletes commonly perceive sodium intake as important for their sporting activities. Many intend to consciously increase sodium intake in the days preceding and during competition, although these views appear informed mostly by nonscientific and/or non-evidence-based sources.

中文翻译：

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运动前和运动过程中耐力运动员的钠摄入观念，信息来源和预期做法。

很少有信息描述耐力运动员如何看待与训练和比赛有关的钠摄入量。使用在线问卷，本研究评估了有关钠摄入以进行训练和比赛的信念，信息来源和预期做法。来自六个英语国家的耐力运动员（n = 344）填写了调查表，并进行了分析。引用最多的信息来源是社会支持（63％），自我体验（56％）和媒体（48％）。受访者通常认为（电子视觉类比量表中> 50％）耐力运动员每天需要额外的钠（中位数为67％[四分位数范围：40-81％]），而比赛前几天钠含量的增加（60％[ 30-77％]），应替代训练（69％[48-83％]）和比赛（74％[54-87％]）中的钠流失，并应通过汗液成分测试（82％[65-95％]）受益。受访者普遍认为，耐力运动过程中的钠摄入可预防与运动有关的肌肉痉挛（75％[60-88％]）和与运动有关的低钠血症（74％[62-89％]）。大多数（58％）计划在比赛前几天有意识地增加钠或总食物摄入量（即间接增加钠摄入量）。大多数（79％）在比赛中意识到钠的摄入量，但只有29％的人可以明确制定具体的摄入计划。少数（5％）报告使用商业汗液测试服务，其中75％认为这是有益的。我们得出的结论是，耐力运动员通常认为摄入钠对他们的体育活动很重要。